July ‘04

The Seidokan Communicator

Aikido for a Modern Way of Life
In This Issue
Balance & Perspective in Training and
Teaching Aikido - Training and Teaching
By Richard Harnack - Gogo No Shugyo Seminar
"Heaven is right where you are standing, and that - Aiki Poetry
is the place to train."
- Kokyudosa
I would like to address briefly how the basic ideas
behind this quote apply to training and teaching. - Aikido in Maui
Being Taught Is Not The Same As Training. When - Summer Camp 2004
an Aikidoka first starts their training it is important they be
taught how to do certain things safely. Acquiring skillful
and safe Ukémi is perhaps the most useful “technique” a
Intention Is Important In Training. Our underlying
new Aikidoka can learn. Ukémi allows us to survive our
philosophy and assumptions are reflected in how we train. In
training and practice. It is important in your early training
Seidokan Aikido the primary principles in this regard are
that you focus on what you are actually doing at the
Earnest/Sincere and Spirit of Loving Compassion.
moment you are doing it. We need to be mindful of what
Earnestness in training means we are committed to learning
is being taught, what we are being asked to do, and, to
and improving. Showing up to train regularly is part of this, as
train the specific technique asked for. In Aikido, we stay
is the willingness to learn from everyone. Spirit of Loving
focused by practicing the principles of: One Point,
Compassion is the quality expected in how you train with
Extending Awareness, Living Calmness and Settling
others, especially that “difficult” person. Be mindful of your
Down.
intention in training at all times.
Rank and Title Is Not Same As Training. For all
Train From Right Mindfulness. Thich Nhat Hanh, in his
beginners Shodan seems impossibly far away and often
book Going Home, discusses the Five Mindfulness Trainings
times seems to represent a level of “perfection.” For the
in his section entitled “The Concrete Path of Training”. Briefly
student, the title of Sensei often times implies an
they are:
achieved state of perfection. However, without continual
“I am committed to cultivating compassion and
practice, review and correction, Shodan (and all
learning ways to protect the lives of people…”
Yudansha ranks) and the title Sensei mean absolutely
nothing. “I am committed to cultivating loving-kindness and
“Sensei” literally means “one who has gone before”, learning ways to work for the well-being of people…”
in other words, a Sensei is one who shares their
“I am committed to cultivate responsibility and learn
experience and training with others to help them improve.
ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals,
A “Chief Instructor” is one who is actively cultivating the
couples, families and society.”
next generation of “Sensei”. Rank and Title are earned
through continual practice and application of the “…I am committed to learn to speak truthfully with
principles, in particular Go Go No Shugyo, Training after words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope.”
Understanding.
Training Is Training. Training is not perfection, nor “I am committed to cultivate good health, both
is perfection the goal. As students of Aikido, all of us physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my
must train our skills over and over. Your training only society…”
ends when you quit or die; until then all is practice and
training. This is easy to see when we are doing There is nothing more to add.
technique. We can see and feel our skill in applying a
given technique. The kinesthetic feedback tells us “Heaven is right where you are standing” - in the midst of
whether we have done it properly and what we need to your life and training. “…and that is the place to train” – let
correct. At no point is the Aikidoka “through” with their where you are be your “dojo”. The quality and manner is up
training. to you.
`
2
Gogo No Shugyo:
Training After Realization
By Ben Doubleday
Maybe Gogo No Shugyo is a long word (or words) for,
“life after an epiphany.” Some people have and epiphany
and accept it. In Aikido, Gogo No Shugyo can be many
things. What I think about is, once you learn the basics, not
all the rules apply. An example of that would be; you’re
always taught that you have to move off the line. That’s
what we tell all the beginners. You have to move off the line
- that is drilled into your head over and over. But (and that’s
a big but!), after you practice for years, you learn that you
don’t have to MOVE off the line, you need to GET off the
line. Now by that I mean you still have to be off the line, but
you can stand in one spot, and redirect the line. It is
Kobayashi Sensei’s “I’m on the line, I’m off the line” thing.
He didn’t move his body off the line; he blended and
redirected the line.
Now I know some of you are reading this thinking “this
guy is nuts!” (Chances are you’re right.) This type of thing
applies in other parts of life, not just Aikido. You all
remember high school math? Remember the square root of
numbers? Well, the square root of a number is the divisor
of a quantity that when squared gives the quantity (i.e. the
square root of 25 is 5, because 5 multiplied by 5 equals 25
) . Now remember back even further: a positive multiplied
by a positive equals a positive, as does a negative
multiplied by a negative. (This does have a point so follow
me here.) All throughout high school they pounded into
your head that you can’t have a square root of a negative
number because no number squared can equal a negative
number. Over and over… there cannot be a square root to
a negative number. Then you go to a higher math class…
you can have a square root of a negative value with a thing
called “Imaginary Numbers.”
So, something that was said to not be possible just
became possible with a little thing called imaginary
numbers. So, let’s talk about “Imaginary Aikido” shall we?
Imaginary Aikido does not happen with your body, it
happens with your mind. Much like the numbers, a negative
multiplied by a negative equals a positive, so we imagine
that it does not. On the mat imaginary Aikido begins with
moving the line, and ends with doing nothing. That sounds
funny but how many people seen one of our Sensei throw
someone without moving more than an inch? I have! They
didn’t move physically, it is all in thought.
Outside of the dojo, (and I think this is most important)
imaginary Aikido still takes place. My epiphany took place
in a parking lot between Radio Shack and Taco Bell. I was
working for Radio Shack and got transferred to a really
small store. The store was so small I could work a Saturday
or Sunday and see six customers at the most. The
manager there was an older woman, she was the type that
had been married three or four times and divorced each
time, but it was always “their fault.” That store was called
the “Roads End” store because they couldn’t keep people
there. Everyone that got transferred there quit. Well, to
keep to the point, we had to do inventory one night. No one
was looking forward to this inventory, mainly because no
one wanted to spend till 4am with this manager. Working
for the company for a while, I had done inventory many
times before. We would put on music and order a pizza
during the first break, you know, to make it a little fun (or at
least not so boring). This manager would not allow any
music, talking, or smiling go on. She was starting to really,
really get irritating. Everything she said seemed to strangle
my last nerve.
Finally, I just said “I’m taking a break and grabbing some
food at Taco Bell. ” I put down the scanner gun and left. As
I walked across the parking lot I kept saying to myself, “She
is really making me mad! I can’t believe she is acting like
this!” About halfway though the parking lot, I realized what I
was saying. How is she making me mad? I am making me
mad by letting her bother me. Why do I care what she says
or does? It turned out that the night was not nearly as bad
as it could have been. Since she wouldn’t let us turn on
music, I sang. And anyone that knows me knows I sing like
a lawn mower! Now the hard part is applying that to other
parts of your life. Why worry about something you can’t
change? That’s Imaginary Aikido. Pretending to step off the
line, pretending do a hara drop, pretending to enter in,
pretending to care. Start physical, step off the line, don’t go
around someone that annoys you, use positive numbers.
Go Imaginary!
3

More on Gogo No Shugyo Aiki Poetry

By Bronson Diffin
First off I’d like to give a big thanks to Dr. Crapo Sensei Munetsuki Kotegaeshi
for taking the time to do this. It was a great experience for By Arik Martin
me. I won’t bore you with a detailed hour by hour
breakdown of what we did…besides I don’t think I can.
Here it comes
Instead I’d like to give my impressions of the entire thing.
For those who don’t know the Gogo No Shugyo seminar Right in front of me
is about examining the details in our practice, the small Oops, better get off the line
things that added together turn into the large things. The Bring the world back into harmony
seminar focuses on the aiki-taiso which are the building
blocks of every single technique we do. This may sound Things look more promising from this perspective
weird but to be honest I didn’t really learn anything “new” at Actually it feels like integrity can be kept
the seminar. This may be due to the fact that I study with A calamity has been averted
Crapo Sensei on a regular basis so I’ve been exposed the And nature’s laws still prevail
ideas he presented before. Now don’t take that to mean I
didn’t learn anything, that’s far from the case. The
My deep hand floats above the Other
experience I had was that the seminar helped to clarify and
organize a lot of random ideas about aikido that I had And takes the garden hose off the reel
floating in my head. It was kind of like taking what I’ve There is water being wasted
learned in the nearly eight years I’ve been training and Time to direct it down to where it is needed
shaking it up to get it to settle into it’s correct place.
Through my aikido practice I learn stuff. I learn about With my back hand helping to stem the tide
connection, relaxing, body movement, intention, etc. The I watch as the water reverses course
problem is the lessons are learned in a haphazard random And flows to the ground once again
way and I often don’t make the connection between the Giving all things a needed drink
lesson just learned and the bigger picture of my training.
That’s where the seminar helped me the most. It helped
me to see and feel those connections. I was able to see
and feel the connection between doing funakogi undo
correctly and ushirotori zenpo nage. This is where the
seminar really shines for me. The aiki-taiso are the basis, Yokomenuchi Hijiotoshi
the building blocks of the techniques that we use to learn By Arik Martin
the principles behind aikido. If the base is unstable the
whole structure is unstable. Each aiki-taiso was broken The world is spinning
down and examined. We only had so much time so they
And I seem to have run into the center of it
may not have been broken down as deeply as they could
have been but it was hopefully enough to push everyone to Everything is moving around me
keep examining their form and training and to always keep Things have been set in motion and there is no
looking for the “right” way. stopping it now

My forearms are moved upward

By the centripetal forces
They frame a picture of uke sliding off the face of the
earth
That could be me, so I had better put out a safety net

Ah, things have settled down again

The leaves of the tree have fluttered about and are
now resting on the ground
Thank goodness I didn’t try to grab one
It could have been crushed
4
Technical Corner
Kokyu Dosa
By Dan Kawakami
Kokyu dosa is a basic hara or ki development exercise.
It is training in the proper use of your hara or one point in
controlling the push or resistance of your partner. There
are a number of ways to do this exercise. Other instructors
may teach it in a way that is different from what is described
in the following, but the critical factor is that the exercise is
done according to the four principles of mind-body
unification. These principles are well known and need not
be repeated here except to remind the reader that they are
different aspects of the same experience. If you have one,
you have them all; if you lack one, you lack them all. It is
also important to keep in mind that these principles are
formless and can be expressed in different situations and
different ways.
To begin, nage and uke sit in seiza, facing each other.
Both are centered and balanced with ki extended. Using
the minimum amount of muscular energy, nage raises his
arms to offer his wrists to the uke. It is best to think of
raising the elbows so that the whole arm rises as one.
There is a natural bend at the elbows, and except for the
effort in holding up the arms, the upper body is relaxed.
There is no change in the nage’s upper body when uke
grabs his wrists. (See fig. 1) He remains centered and
relaxed. Nage’s response will depend on how he is being
held.
If the uke holds tightly and/or pushes, the nage keeps
his arms unbendable, absorbs the force and moves his
center forward by initially bowing at the waist and
continuing the movement by rising to his knees. Because
of the tension in holding tightly, the uke has lost his center
and will take the force in his shoulders and be easily
toppled. (See fig. 2) If the nage tenses and begins pushing
with his arms and shoulders, he has given the uke
something to resist and turned this exercise into a contest
of muscular strength.
Fig. 1: Nage raises his arms with no extra muscular effort.
Uke is holding tightly or pushing.
The most effective way to hold the nage’s wrist is to
hold with a light but firm touch. (See fig 3) The uke
maintains his center (ki extended) and resists any effort by
the nage to move the point of contact or to execute a
throw. The correct approach entails the nage giving up the
intention of moving or throwing the uke and focusing totally
on his own movement and finding the space where he can
move freely while still being in contact with the uke. Nage
again begins his movement by bowing at the waist but
rather than keeping his arms unbendable, he unlocks his
elbows and allows them to drop to accommodate his
forward movement. (See fig 4) To accomplish this
movement, it is helpful to think in terms of placing your
elbows under your hands. Again, there is no thought or
intention of winning or losing or throwing the uke, but the
nage’s focus is on the process of placing himself in a
position where the uke’s center is taken and his balance
disrupted. As the uke’s balance is broken, the nage
continues his forward movement by sliding his knees to the
side, executes the throw (See fig 5), and ends up sitting
seiza right next to the uke. Nage then lightly places his
right hand on the uke’s left shoulder and his left hand on
uke’s right wrist. To test the nage’s centeredness, uke
grabs a hold of nage’s forearm and pushes toward his
shoulder as he tries to get up. (See fig 6) If the uke is able
to break nage’s balance, nage must re-establish his
centeredness by checking his posture, breath, and the right
distribution of tension and relaxation in his body.
The final phase of the exercise involves returning to the
original position. Nage offers his wrist to the uke and pivots
on his knees to the right, pulling the uke up, not with his
arms and shoulders but with the movement of his whole
body. (See fig. 7) The uke pushes on the nage as he
comes up. This is an excellent exercise in experiencing the
effects of ki extension and flow. If the uke is able to push
the nage over, it is an indication that the nage has lost his
center and his ki has stopped flowing.
Fig 2: While uke holds tightly and/or pushes, nage bows
with his hara and continues his forward movement by rising
to his knees
5

Fig 3: Nage raises his arms with no extra muscular effort. Fig 4: Nage places his elbows under his wrists without
Uke holds with ki. moving the point of contact at the wrists.

Fig 5: Nage continues his forward movement, slides his knee Fig 6: Nage sits seiza next to uke. Uke tests nage by
to the side and executes the throw. pushing up from nage's wrists.
Nage makes the necessary adjustments to re-establish his
center, and with repeated practice, develops his ability to
move with his center and his ki constantly flowing. Practice
at this stage becomes a continuous flow of ki and
movement.
Kokyu dosa is essentially seiza in motion with the added
constraint of someone holding on to your wrists. Because
seiza provides a stable foundation upon which to be
centered, it is an effective means of exploring the effects of
mind body unification. Done correctly, the nage experiences
the exercise as a flowing and near effortless movement.
There is no push or pull, and the pressure at the point of
contact remains relatively constant. The uke feels carried
along in the movement by an irresistible force. It is
irresistible because there is nothing to resist. This is an
example of nage and uke becoming one. Kokyu dosa is
training in ki or hara development which leads to becoming
one within oneself and one with others. Gains from this Fig 7: Nage offers his wrist to uke to pull back up to seiza
exercise can be directly applied to standing techniques with with ki extended.
the same effects of relatively free and irresistible movement.
6
Which Came First?
By Steve Bessonny
Which came first the chicken or the egg? When I
thought about writing a short anecdote for the
Communicator, that was the first thing that came to my
mind. I had just participated in the Gogo No Shugyo
seminar and wanted to share some thoughts.
When I began practicing Aikido four years ago, I
couldn’t wait to learn the techniques. I had watched
several classes and it looked really easy. I didn’t
understand the purpose of the warm up exercises. The
stretching was logical, but the aiki taiso didn’t seem
important. Boy was I wrong.
As I began to learn techniques, I still didn’t focus on the
Aiki Taiso or their relevance to what we learned or
practiced in class. I went through the warm ups and hoped
they would go quickly so we could move on to learning
real Aikido. While preparing for my first kyu test, I didn’t
understand why I had to demonstrate a warm up exercise
and explain its role in a technique.
As the number of hours I practiced increased, I started
to see some of the aiki taiso in our techniques. If I didn’t
see the aiki taiso, someone was usually there to help me
to see it. About this same time, I started to really focus on
the principles to unify mind and body. Sure, I had
memorized them for my kyu tests, but had I really
incorporated them into my practice? I realized that I had
not and this opened a new plane of learning for me.
Participating in the seminar taught by Dr. Crapo
brought together the importance of both the aiki taiso and
the principles. I can’t put my finger on any one thing I
learned at during the seminar, but I feel as if my
understandings have expanded. This leads me back to my
original question. Which came first the chicken or the egg?
Another Dojo, Another Style,
Still At Home
By Jim Brazell
How would it feel to enter a Ki Society dojo, which is
also the oldest Aikido dojo in the United States? When O-
Sensei sent Koichi Tohei to bring Aikido to the United
States, he came to Hawaii and began to teach at what
became Shunshinkan Dojo. Years later, O-Sensei himself
visited the dojo. The picture of O-Sensei standing in
prayer on a mountain was taken in Hawaii during this visit.
One early student was a police officer, S. Suzuki. He
was greatly impressed by the art, for himself and his fellow
peace officers. Fifty years later, Police Major S. Suzuki
(ret.) and current Chief Instructor Chris Curtis Sensei, 7th
Dan, continue to train students from the academy.
I planned to be in Maui, Hawaii for vacation with my
wife, Westi. I contacted Mark Crapo Sensei for
suggestions on where I might train. He suggested Maui-Ki
Federation so several months before my trip, I emailed
Chris Curtis Sensei/Chief Instructor and he welcomed me
to train as much as my schedule allowed. With a mat fee
of $10/week, those classes were the best value of the
vacation.
I entered their dojo and faced the mat. In a wall’s upper
corner, I spotted the sign with the four ways to unify mind and
body. I knew that sign from Seiwa dojo, and began to feel at
home.
The classes were formal and friendly; Curtis Sensei introduced
me to the class, and several dan students took it upon themselves
so that I always had a partner.
What stays in mind now that I am back on the mainland?
1. Mind Body Unification Rhythm – Six-minute set of
elements from the aiki-taiso set to music to lead
students into developing proper rhythm within their own
movements. It is a joyful exercise, to be serious is be
tense, and not learn the movements’ rhythm.
2. Yokomenuchi Shihonage with a crossover step; similar
effect, different path.
3. Shomenuchi Kokyunage that is softer than mine.
4. “Taigi Competition” – a defined set of techniques
between nage and uke, to be completed in a set amount
of time, again to develop proper rhythm. I saw some
impressive jo-nage at dan level.
5. Large Circle techniques – Students are encouraged to
project ki and to use the entire mat for the waza. I kept
thinking about our ‘turning on a manhole cover” teaching
aid as my partner stepped in a particular direction to
raise an arm to achieve a similar effect.
6. The teaching of blending (rhythm), of ki training and
projection, instruction toward minimal effort and the
discernment of (false) attachments.
7. The subtlety of ki testing – Giving and receiving the test.
8. Show respect for the ways of this dojo. Wear a white
belt to demonstrate your desire to learn from them.
Wear sandals when stepping off the mat onto other
areas of the dojo. Bring your gi in a bag, not loosely
bundled under your arm or wearing it.
I learned to honor the O-Sensei’s teachings as interpreted by
Koichi Tohei’s understanding, and as applied by S. Suzuki Sensei
and C. Curtis Sensei. I also came to more deeply appreciate
Kobayashi Sensei’s efforts as he softened and reduced the waza
that he had received. There is greatness in both styles as they
seek to follow O-Sensei’s path. I am grateful for the thorough
understanding of the Aikido basics that I have learned from my
teachers. Their teaching enabled me to distinguish what is
particular about Seidokan from what I saw at the Ki Society dojo. I
enjoy our focus on blending, on small circles and the regard for
one’s uke, especially the one “on the street.”
If you are ever in Maui, I encourage you to visit.
7
Summer Camp 2004
qualities, skills, abilities, leadership, as we worked together on the
By Catherine Parsoneault myriad of details that wove themselves into the camp.
A month has passed, but Seidokan Summer Camp Another benefit of hosting the camp manifested itself as our
2004 is so much more than just a memory! Still Point friendship with the University of Texas Aikido Club, always strong,
Aikido Center (Ross Robertson, Sensei) welcomed more was renewed and re-affirmed. Even with The University in hiatus
than seventy aikidoka to Austin, Texas during the first between spring and summer terms, members of the UT-Austin
weekend in June to train together, renew friendships, and club offered us their help and worked hard alongside us, as
make new friends. In harmony with the theme at AIA, excited as we were to see this camp succeed. Everyone pitched
“Back to basics,” the theme of the camp was “Heaven is in with amazing graciousness and enthusiasm, from the original
where you are standing, and that is the place to train.” And members of the Still Point Summer Camp Planning Committee to
train we did, attending sessions with fifteen instructors all those from Still Point and UT-Austin who contributed so much
who offered a marvelous kaleidoscope of approaches to time, energy, creativity, and love to the shaping of the camp.
the basic principles that unite us! Between training
sessions, some campers found time to explore the
“So as we remember all those who traveled so far to be
campus at St. Edward’s University, while others wandered
together at camp, and as we greet those who were not able
farther a field to sample some of the entertainment the city
to join us but who were with us in spirit, we thank you all for
has to offer. The Austin Taiko lent a different kind of
coming together, for finding your own particular place to
energy to the traditional Saturday morning misogi (ably led
train, your own heaven, your own space on the mat and
by Doug Wedell Sensei), and later that evening the
within yourselves, to make this camp a reality. The legacy
members of Taiko hosted a hands-on workshop that
of our camp, as Ross Sensei wrote in his welcome, is this:
seemed at times to shake the whole building as about 25
“By training side by side, we enrich ourselves and enlarge
of us experimented delightedly with the sounds of the
our hearts. In this way, the center is expanded, and we
“demon drums.”
encompass more of our universe. As we receive a world of
For the unique training opportunities we discovered in
grace, we may then extend it toward the relief of all who
creating this camp, we give each one of you who attended
suffer. Let us remember that the wisdom that arises from
camp our sincere thanks. The members of Still Point
our coming together belongs to the whole world. Wherever
Aikido Center found that hosting this camp was a
we find ourselves, and whatever the circumstances, there is
challenge, a delight, a joy, and a reason for profound
the opportunity to project a healing attitude, and share
gratitude that we were given the opportunity to serve. We
aikido with the millions.”
learned so much during the eighteen months of intensive
planning that went into the camp! As a small dojo already
In that spirit, thank you for welcoming each other, and for
imbued with a special closeness and sense of community,
providing the energy that gave the camp its life. Remember,
we knew “going in” that every single person would be
heaven is where you’re standing (right now!) and THAT is the
called on. We knew we had an array of talented people
place to train! We wish you all good training, and hope to see you
ready and willing to make wonders happen. But we could
again at camp next year!
not know ahead of time that the process of putting this
camp together, and of offering it as our gift to Seidokan,
would reveal among our members previously unknown

Summer Camp 2004

Note: Be the first on your block to see photos from this summer's Seidokan Aikido camp! Just point your web browser at
http://www.stillpointaikido.com and follow the link from there. You can also contribute pictures to the summer camp gallery by
emailing Katie at Catrin@Texas.net or Frank at FrankB@bighead.com.
8
Heart And Soul of Aikido
away from class, or camp, or a seminar, that you couldn’t otherwise.
By Melissa Crapo To me, this is the most important aspect of Aikido in my life.
Aikido has always been a part of my life. For as At this time, I would like to thank everyone for the experiences.
long as I can remember, there has always been a My dad, Dr. Mark Crapo, and step mom, Janean. Everyone from the
dojo to attend and classes to go to. I have been Aikido Institute of Michigan and Southside dojo. Everyone from
practicing off and on for about fifteen years now, every other dojo who attended camp last year and the Gogo No
and have been told I was even a participant as a Shugyo seminar in Michigan this past spring. And of course, thank
little baby asleep in my father’s arms. However, up you to Mrs. Kobayashi and Michiyo. I know that even if someday I
until a year ago when I moved in with my father become successful and move far away and no longer have time to
and stepmother, I had been taking this art form for practice Aikido, it will still be a part of my life forever, thanks to all the
granted. memorable experiences.
In the past year I have been able to participate
in classes more frequently, went to my first
summer camp, and attended the Gogo No Shugyo
seminar in Michigan. After being involved in all of
these experiences, I have been able to
understand Aikido better, and have seen things in
ways in which I have never seen them before. I
find myself practicing Aikido everyday outside of
the mat. I have discovered that I have always
done this, just never been conscious of it. I see
this in everything from simply dropping my
shoulders and relaxing while I’m driving (or doing
anything), to realizing that I am doing funakogi
undo while folding shirts at work.
One of my most eye-opening incidents
occurred right after the seminar while talking with Melissa Crapo at the Gogo No Shugyo seminar.
some people I worked with. I was telling them
about the seminar, trying to convey to them the PROMOTIONS
feeling and the atmosphere of the event. All the
while they kept asking me what rank I was, what Nidan
rank other people attending were, how hard I Oleg Raskin Seidokan Aikido Heisei Dojo 11/07/03
could throw someone (if I could), if I had learned Yaakov Shimshi Aikido Institute of Jerusalem 11/07/03
any neat ways to beat people up, etc. I began to Gal Cohen Aikido Institute of Jerusalem 11/07/03
get frustrated that this was all they wanted to know Christy Rose Aikido Institute of Michigan, Seiwa Dojo 02/28/04
because that wasn’t what the seminar was about Suzanne Burgess Seidokan Aikido of South Carolina 04/17/04
at all, when I realized what the true meaning of
Aikido was for me. It’s not rank and techniques. Shodan
These are merely the surface, the appearance of Shehdeh M. Abu Remeileh Aikido Institute of Jerusalem 0/13/02
the art. To me, the heart and soul of Aikido is the Shane Lewis Northern Lights Aikido 2/16/02
experience. It’s the atmosphere, the aura that is Jessa Madosky Aikido Institute of Mid-America 08/01/03
present on the mat. It’s getting together with a Jarrod Whitaker University of Texas Aikido Club 03/28/04
group of close friends; no, an extended family. It’s Russell Robinson Victory Dojo 05/02/04
having fun and getting to know everyone a little Congratulations!
better. If you can do this, you can bring something

Spring Seminar in South Carolina

The members of Seidokan Aikido of South
Carolina very much enjoyed Joe Crotty
Sensei’s visit and role as co-instructor at their
latest seminar. Among other things, Crotty
Sensei led the class in Enkei nage with a
hanky, demonstrated the relationship between
ken-ken awase and basic techniques, and
showed some very useful techniques for tanju
tori (gun take-away). The weekend was full of
good ki, good food, good feelings and plenty of
good falls.